Knitting is performed in order to create complex textiles and fabrics. In order to save labor costs when knitting particularly complex fabrics (e.g., those that include metal wires or other non-standard threads), it is common to utilize an automated knitting machine. An automated knitting machine may be used, for example, to knit complex patterns into a unified fabric based on input from a controller.
While automated knitting machines operate, they draw thread from one or more spools. The speeds at which threads are drawn may vary depending on the type of design being knitted, as well as whether the knitting machine is knitting in a “forward” or “backwards” direction. The speeds may also vary over time as the knitting machine uses more or less of a given thread.
Knitting machines remain desirable for a number of uses, but their utility when knitting fabrics that include exotic threads/filaments is limited. Certain threads may snap if they experience more than even a few centiNewtons (cN) of tension, which is undesirable because a broken thread results in substantial time delays as re-threading takes place. Furthermore, the programs utilized by knitting machines do not take into account the types of threads being actively knitted. Hence, apart from directing a knitting machine to operate very slowly (which is not economical), these problems with utilizing exotic threads are unavoidable.